DIGITAL SKILLS - Creating economic growth across Europe

24 February 2016 - 02:00 - 25 February 2016 - 01:59

Introduction

Europe is still struggling to keep up with the global digital revolution and complete the yet-unfinished Digital Single Market. Moreover, the EU predicts that the lack of digital skills could lead to a shortfall of 900,000 jobs by 2020. This means that there are businesses still unable to reach their full potential because they cannot find employees with the skills they need. Clearly, if Europe is to be successful in the new digital era, it must tear down remaining obstacles to digitalisation and insist on digital training to help businesses and individuals be successful online by using the full potential of the internet.

What progress has been made in fostering digital skills in Europe? What challenges remain for business in Europe? And how is the issue of digital skills embedded in the wider context of digitalisation?

The event will also discuss Google’s pledge announced last February in Brussels to support 1 million Europeans gain critical digital skills by the end of 2016 through an investment of over €25M and in cooperation with many partners from the business, academic, and public sectors.

Join the discussion on Twitter using #SmarterEU and #DigitalSkills.

Read our report on Digital Skills: Creating economic growth across Europe below. If it fails to load, or if you would prefer to read it offline, then you can also download a PDF version of the report.

Photo gallery

Video

12.00 - 12.30 Registration of participants and lunch

12.30 - 13.40 DIGITAL SKILLS - CREATING ECONOMIC GROWTH ACROSS EUROPE

FeaturingMatt Brittin / President for EMEA Business and Operations at GoogleMaxime Cerutti / Director of Social Affairs at BUSINESSEUROPETomasz Husak / Head of Cabinet of Elżbieta Bieńkowska, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEsTano Lopez /Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fleed International Student Network, SpainCatherine Stihler MEP / Vice Chair of the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer ProtectionPaulina Wardęga /Vice President of Business Development for PIXERS, Poland

The financial crisis has profoundly affected our confidence in an economic model that has prevailed for decades. The limitations of monetary policy have come into sharp focus, notably its inability to discriminate between regions, sectors or individuals – and, in the eurozone, countries too.